Seoul mayoral candidate Jung Won-oh attacks incumbent Oh Se-hoon on safety, housing

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- Democratic Party candidate Jung Won-oh for Seoul mayor hit the campaign trail in northwest Seoul over the weekend, his first weekend of official campaigning, to court voters.

In particular, he continued to attack Oh Se-hoon, the candidate from the People Power Party, by framing his administration as one of 'safety insensitivity,' leveraging the safety issues sparked by the GTX rebar omission incident.

At a street rally in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, Jung cited the GTX Samseong Station section rebar omission incident, stating, "The rebar in the most important pillars was missing, resulting in half-completed rebar construction." He added, "Despite this, the Seoul Metropolitan Government allowed construction to proceed knowing this."

"What will happen if a major accident occurs later? Who will take responsibility?" he asked, referencing the 1995 Sampoong Department Store collapse, and pointed out, "The biggest factor in that accident was half-completed rebar construction."

He then urged, "I hope Mayor Oh rushes to Samseong Station to find a solution." Otherwise, he warned, "You will prove yourself to be a mayor insensitive to safety, and that the fact that safety accidents have occurred every time during Oh Se-hoon's term is not a coincidence but a necessity."

He also listed the Itaewon crowd crush, the Umyeon Mountain landslide, the Gangnam Station flooding, and the Gangdong District sinkhole fatality, asking, "We need to examine why such major disasters happen every time during Mayor Oh's term." He added, "Don't we need to change this insensitivity to safety?"

"If we prevent it, accidents can be stopped," he appealed, "Let's change Seoul into a safety-first city by changing the safety-insensitive Seoul Metropolitan Government."

Regarding the real estate issue, which Oh Se-hoon's campaign has been heavily attacking, Jung highlighted his 'Chakchak Development' pledge and his promise to supply 360,000 housing units by 2031. "I will supply them faster and more safely," he emphasized, urging voters to "change the mayor who only talks and elect a mayor who acts."

In a rally speech in front of Hongje Station on Saturday afternoon, Jung also targeted Oh by saying, "Citizens' lives improve when we invest in safety."

He particularly criticized Oh for not visiting the site of the Samseong Station construction error, saying, "Isn't it the mark of a candidate to go to the site, discuss what the problem is and how to solve it, and find solutions?"

He further stressed, "Voting is about re-electing those who do their jobs well to continue working, and replacing those who don't to hold them accountable." He asked, "Don't you want to feel the effectiveness by changing Oh to Jung Won-oh, who does his job well, in this election?"

After his speech, Jung greeted citizens near Hongje Station and visited the Moa Town site in Hyeonje-dong, Seodaemun District, to listen to residents' opinions.

Jung also visited the Roh Moo-hyun Civic Center in Jongno District, Seoul, to watch a live broadcast of the memorial ceremony for the 17th anniversary of the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun.

Meeting with reporters, he said, "On the 17th anniversary, I hope that democracy, which began in the public square, will expand to our daily lives on the ground." He added, "I hope that the trust President Roh had will be realized through this election."

Regarding Oh Se-hoon's camp's claim that the completion rate of urban regeneration areas was 0% during Jung's tenure as Seongdong District mayor, he retorted, "That is a clear falsehood." He countered, "By the end of my term as mayor, I completed 12,600 units in 12 locations."

In response to Oh's criticism that Jung's request for a temporary suspension of construction to address the GTX rebar omission incident "trampled on citizens' desire for early opening," Jung shot back, "If there is shoddy construction, it must naturally be supplemented." He added, "It is dishonest to exaggerate words as if it will be completely suspended or canceled."

Earlier that morning, Jung visited Dobongsan Mountain to greet merchants and hikers and hold street rallies.